The Student-Led Classroom Tool Kit

Purpose & objective

All children deserve learning experiences focused on solving real world, authentic problems, allowing them to practice collaboration, communication, and creativity. In a world where more tasks and jobs are becoming automated, empowering our students to be collaborative problem solvers, creative innovators, and reflective, lifelong learners makes them indispensable.

Imagine: a classroom of 30 students, each working on their own, individual (or sometimes paired) project for a real world client. Both inspiring and daunting, right? While “21st century learning” is a popular ideal in today’s education conversation, few tools exist to help teachers facilitate authentic, meaningful learning on a full class scale.

In this session, participants will learn tangible tools and strategies to help transform their classrooms into places where students do work that matters to THEM right now. Through classroom management methods that empower student coaching and collaboration, assessment tools that amplify and inspire creativity, tips for building student tenacity, and strategies to manage 100+ unique projects all at once without losing your mind, teachers will leave this session ready to transform their classroom from student-centered to student-led.

Participant Outcomes:
-Discuss the difference between classroom management and classroom leadership
-Identify how to lead students through authentic learning experiences
-Review different strategies to create systems and space for student leadership and tools for authentic assessment
-Leave with tools to implement these strategies within your own classroom

Outline

Agenda with Timing:
Classroom Management vs. Classroom Leadership, includes small group discussion (7 min)
Introduction to Toolkit + Notecatcher (3 min)
Classroom Environment (15 min): Setting group norms, Incorporating peer coaching, Systems for ongoing feedback, Section reflection
Project and Learning Management (15 min): Student resource tubs, Mastery points before assessment, Help ticket system, Group project management, Student task management
Assessment: Shifting from Grades to Feedback (12 min): Evaluating your current assessment strategies, Defining student-centered assessment, Systems for managing redos, Rules for verbal assessment
Making Actionable Commitments (3 mins)
Q+A (5 min)

Supporting research

https://www.edutopia.org/article/6-strategies-promoting-student-autonomy
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/classroom-management/student_autonomy.htm
https://www.apa.org/education-career/k12/learners
Drive, Daniel Pink